The assumption was only half correct. It was generally believed that Todd Helton played only four times in September, and not once in the last three weeks, because the Rockies were afterthought in the standings.

No sense in risking his aching back for meaningless games. Truth is, he wasn’t capable of playing. Even if the Rockies were contending, he would have been on the bench. That’s the bad news. The good news is that he hasn’t had any back issues this offseason, increasing optimism that he will be able to duplicate his bounce-back performance.

“I have been working out. There have been no problems,” said Helton, who has once again incorporated P90X training and heavy lifting. “I am fine.”

General manager Dan O’Dowd was concerned in late September. Helton, after all, is 38 years old. But after seeing the first baseman’s recovery he believes he will get similar production. Helton hit .302 with a .385 on-base percentage, 14 home runs and 69 RBIs a year ago.

“There’s no reason to think otherwise. He’s going to grind and work as hard as anyone to get himself ready,” O’Dowd said.

Roster roulette.

With the Rule 5 draft approaching next month, the Rockies added two more players to their 40-man roster: pitchers Christian Friedrich and Edwar Cabrera. Friedrich, a former first-round draft pick, struggled last season, going 6-10 with a 5.00 ERA in Double-A. Cabrera went 8-3 in two Single-A stops, setting a minor-league franchise record with 217 strikeouts. The Rockies’ roster sits at 38, leaving wiggle room for trades.

Wood signs.

The Rockies signed Brandon Wood to a minor-league deal to provide depth and insurance at third base. Wood, a one-time top prospect with the Angels, hit seven home runs as a reserve for the Pirates last season.

Troy is a former Denver Broncos and Colorado Rockies beat writer for The Denver Post. He joined the news organization in 2002 as the Rockies' beat writer and became a Broncos beat writer in 2014 before assuming the lead role ahead of the 2015 season. He left The Post in 2015.

About 90 minutes before the finale of Denver’s six-game road trip against the Celtics, coach Michael Malone stressed the Nuggets would be facing one of the NBA’s best teams, with one of its best players, in one of its best environments.

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